FBI Ransomware Hits Mac Users

According to a new report from Malwarebytes, cyber-criminals have begun targeting Mac users with “ransomware.”

Essentially hijacking a user’s browser with a notice demanding payment of $300 in order to release control of the application, this latest malware tactic is being seen more and more frequently.

While comparable malware ploys have been observed in Windows systems for a number of years, Mac users have rarely seen such efforts target their screen.

The ransomware page is being pushed onto unsuspecting users browsing regular sites but in particular when searching for popular keywords.

Warnings that appear to be from FBI (but really aren’t) tell the victim: “You have been viewing or distributing prohibited Pornographic content.. To unlock your computer and to avoid other legal consequences, you are obligated to pay a release fee of $300.”

The report goes on to explain that the ransomware creators are looking to target users based on popular search terms, with one example being an image search result for Taylor Swift on Bing.

To learn more about this unfortunate phenomenon and what you can do to protect yourself, click here.